Activists campaign against uranium mining in Amrabad

HYDERABAD: Tiger conservationists have started a signature campaign and Facebook pages to build resistance against proposed uranium mining in Amrabad tiger reserve. In the petition, they said that the reserve is home to the Chenchus, a vulnerable tribe, and many threatened and endangered wildlife species such as the tiger, leopard and pangolin. “The impacts of mining would not be limited to Amrabad as it would contaminate the river Krishna, one of the primary sources of drinking water for Hyderabad. Thus the proposed exploratory drilling and subsequent mining in this tiger reserve would cause irreversible damage to all of us,” said Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society founder Imran Siddique. “We will be writing to the prime minister, president, chief minister and the governor of Telangana to stop the destruction, and help save Amrabad tiger reserve,” he added. A rally has been planned on September 7. “Aerial survey using drones cannot be termed as non-invasive. Drilling of 4,000 borewells shall be re-looked and since it is a nuclear project in a protected area, it needs an environmental clearance. An environmental impact assessment and biodiversity impact assessment should be done with a public hearing. The area identified near Amrabad has four villages surrounded by over 25 villages,” said Siddique.

Drilling, movement of vehicles, radioactive radon gas, tailing exposed after the evacuation, groundwater and surface water contamination will also cause huge problems. Siddique added the proposed site is near banks of river Dindi and Nallavagu, the tributaries of Krishna and hold the backwaters of Srisailam dam.